Sheet-piling wall construction



C. 8. BOARDMAN AND C. C. CONKLING.

L. c. CONKLlNG, EXECUTRIX 0F c. c. CONKLING, nzc'u.

SHEET FILING WALL CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION men JULY 7, 1915. RENEWED NOV. 26. 1919.

1A2221 Patented July 18, 1922.

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LUCILE C. CONKLI'NG, EXECUTRIX OF THE WILL 0F SAID CLOUD CLIFFORD CONR- LING, DECEASED, ASSIGNORS TO LACKAWANNA STEEL COMPANY, OE LACE-A- ,WANNA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

' SHEET-FILING WALL CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent;

Patented July 18, 1922.

Application filed July 7, 1915, Serial No. 38,609; Renewed November 26, 1919. Serial No. 340,800.

T o allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES S. BOARI MAN and :GLOUD CLIFFORD CONKLING, citizens of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of- New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sheet-Pilin Wall Construction, of which the following 15 a specification.

This invention relates to walls composed of interlocking steel sheet piling and consists in an improved construction of wall and arrangement of the sheet-piling whereby there is produced a self-sustaining wall of great strength having great resistance to upsetting stresses and not requiring anchor rods and anchors to assist the wall in sustaining the loads. In such a wall the amount of piling required for a g1ven strength of wall is reduced to a minimum and there is therefore a great 'reductlon in cost. The characteristic of the wall is the zig-zag arrangement of a single series of piling producing a single wall composed of sections set at an angle each to the two adjacent and connected sections. The wall may be suitably reinforced and braced to prevent movement or deformatlon of the piling-section and wall -eleme1 1ts, whereby an integral and unitary wall is produced.

The bracing or tie members may be ar-' ranged in various ways depending on the location, loads and requirements of the particular structure in question.

As is well known, interlocking sheet piling, commonly made of rolled steel, has of late become widely'used in the construction of colfer-dams, bulk-heads, dock walls,

with rock or earth to give weight and sta- V ground. Thus distinguishing from the single-wall or anchored construction the double wall construction requires a-l'arge amount of piling, substantially or usually three times that of the single wall type, not to mention the large amount of interior filling,

and therefore are expensive.

As distinguished from both these types of wall, we have invented the zig-zag or sawtooth type, in which a continuous single wall of piling is driven and arranged zig-zag so as to form a series of wall elements, each element arranged at an angle to each adjacent element, and thus affording a wide base and forming a self-sustaining wall, requiring much less piling, than the double type, therefore involving a great saving in expense with equal or greater strength. The angular arrangement provides corner recesses for the filling at the back of the wall as in permanent revetments, docks and bulkheads.

Our invention further contemplates the bracing of the wall so formed to form a series of connected, self-contained wall elements or units, preferably of triangular form and further in the inter-relation of the units in a manner contributing greatly to the strength of the wall formed thereby and insuring against deformation of the individual units thereof.

In the drawings herewith are shown typical forms of wall illustrating our invention. Similar reference numerals are applied to similar parts in the various views. Fig. 1 is a horizontal cross section of our peculiar wall elaborately reinforced by compression and tension elements to resist the strains where a wall of great strength is required. Fig. 2 is a similar cross-section, showing a smaller wall, and one reduced substantially to its simplest elements. Fig. 3 is a vertlcal cross-section of Fig. 1 showing the arrangement of filling in the recesses at the the slngle, continuous zig-zag wall.

rear of the wall. Fig. 4 shows enlarged the corner pieces of Fig. 1 for connecting the wall sections. D

In the figures 1 indicates the individual sheet-piles driven vertically as nearly as may be,-each pile interlocking with its neighbors. and arranged to form the remost locations, but this angle may be greater or less depending on the height of the wall,

. ,the stresses to which it is exposed, and the consequent width of base required.

Each section, by its angular arrangement, tends to brace the adjacent sections against direct stresses, more or less at a right angle to the particular section. But to prevent deformation and to produce a unitary structure adapted to resist various stresses, particularly those at right angles to the wall as a whole, it is important that the sections of the wall be braced by series of walling timbers and compression members.

In Fig. 1 are shown two sets of continuous walling timbers the rear series 3 and the front 4;, and from each corner of the wall there extends to the opposite walling timbers the compression members or posts 6. These walling timbers are bolted or secured to the wall in any suitable manner for instance as shown in Figs. 1 and 4:, set immediately outside of the exact corner to fill the space within the flan e on the T 11 of the corner pieces and there bolted. This T is a portion of the fabricated corner piece It will be understood that usually there is one series of walling timbers on front and rear, conveniently arranged at or near the surface of the water, but if required there may be one or more additional series, arranged below (or above) at such distance from the first series as the height of the wall and the stresses to which it is subjected may make desirable.

As shown in Fig. 1, the compression members are in the form of timbers bolted to the other timbers, but in Fig. 2, in the form of bolts extending through holes in the corner piles and in the walling timbers, so that they operate not merely as compression members but as bolts securing all the parts together.

Here in Fig. 2 the walling timbers are steel angles, whose vertical sides rest flat against the corner piles and are punched for the bolts. And it will be understood that the mention of timbers does not limit us to the use of wooden beams or parts, but that steel stiiuctural'shapes may be used where desir- 81 e.

Fig. 2 shows a simple form of our peculiar wall with the corners formed-of a single pile bent along its longitudinal axis, and each angular section of the wall formed by a single straight pile and parts or halves of the corner ieces.

But in Fig. 1 a much more elaborate structure is illustrated with several piles in each section and additional bracing timbers and tie rods whereby is produced a wall having a much wider base and adapted to resist great stresses. Here arched piling is used which gives greater strength and stiffness to each particular wall section. To receive the thrust and to support the interlocks of these arched piles backing-timbers 88 are provided, which may be braced by braces 9 9, extending to the rear walling timbers 3, and by cross struts, 10 10. These backing timbers may also be anchored. by tie-rods 12-12, to the front walling timbers 4. Front and rear sets of tie-rods 13, 14 may be arranged preferably adjacent the walling timbers and extending through the Ts more firmly to bind together the ends of the wall sections.

As best seen in the simple form of Fig. 2,

application of said members and timbers is a series of triangular trusses, the form best adapted to give the wall inherent strength and causes its units to act together in resisting the load.

As aforesaid, we have thus produced a wall having the advantages of the double wall pocket type in being self-sustaining and resisting upsetting stresses by reason of its wide base, but obtaining this result with the use of much less sheet piling. Our wall with the sections at 90 as suggested requires about 141% of the piling in a single straight wall whereas the pocket type requires about 300%. The expenseof anchoring is saved by our wallswh'ich makes up largely for the waling timbers, etc.

Furthermore in the pocket design the pockets are commonly filled with suitable material such as earth or rock to give weight to the structure and to prevent deformation under load In our will the interior ties and struts take the place of this filling in preventing deformation and thus generall the expense and delay of filling is avoide In the preferred forms of our improved wall, as here shown, it will be readily seen that by the use of the interior ties and struts membersv therefor when employed and the longitudinal walling timbers which form a skeleton base for the triangular unit so formed. These units being of triangular truss form offer great resistance to deformation under -all stresses and having a wide base give stability to the wall as a whole.

By providing the additional ties and struts on the opposite side of the wall it will be seen that additional and similar but re versely arranged horizontal trusses are formed. These additional trusses interact with the truss forms of the opposite side of the wall in retaining the wall and the units from deformation and are also capable of independently acting upon the failure of the struts of one unit, thereby retaining proper form of the piling wall and maintaining still a Connected series of the triangular units. This feature of our invention thus provides for a wall composed of self contained units which may be of any desirable form and are suitably connected to form interacting trusses whereby the units are connected to act together for strengthening and bracing the wall as a whole.

As indicated in the drawing when desired the usual rip-rap or rock filling may be placed within the pockets of the wall to one side or the other as requirements demand for the purpose of giving added stability to the wall.

The particular structures here shown are intended as illustrations of many forms of wall in which our invention may be embodied and not in limiting sense. And it will be understood that any form of interlocking steel sheet piling may be used, and not merely the straight and arched forms with .the peculiar interlocks here shown. Also it will be understood that the bracing of the wall may be accomplished in other ways for instance when such wall is constructed to form a dock face the permanent dock structure may be constructed to act as a truss for supporting the wall of piling as will be readily understood.

Having described our claim,-

1. A wall of sheet piling composed of triinvention we angular units, each formed of wall sections if interlocking sheet piling arranged in angular relation and sustaining members connected to the sections to form' independently sustained units and to connect the units and therewith to form interacting trusses and the piling of said sections being interlocked in continuous saw tooth arrangement to form a continuous wall and to connect the units substantially as described.

2. A wall of sheet piling, comprising intel-locking sheet piles driven in saw-toothed or angular arrangement and interior ties and struts arranged within the angular walls of piling to form independently connected triangular. wall units adapted to produce a truss effect and each of said units being connected to the adjoining units by the continuous wall of interlocked piling.

3. A structure of the character described comprising a continuous single wall of 1nterlocking sheet piling sections composed of piling driven in saw-tooth or angular arrangement connected by corner or junction sections of similar piling elements having their webs angularly deformed and sustaining members connected to the respective corner piling sections to form independently sustained and connected triangular units, substantially as described.

4. A structure of the character described comprising a continuous single wall of interlocking sheet piling sections composed of piling driven in saw-tooth or angular arrangement connected by corner or junction sections of similar piling elements having their webs angularly deformed and sustaining members connected to the respective corner piling sections to form independently sustained and connected triangular units, said sustaining members comprising longitudinally extending structural steel beams positioned at the opposite sides of the piling wall and connected by transversely arranged bolts passed through apertures in the corner piling sections. substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

CHARLES S. BOARDMAN. CLOUD CLIFFORD CONKLING. 

